Embers of Ambition
by Cursed Blessing
Summary: Hyuuga Hinata is stricken with grief when she hears some terrible news. Flashbacks of past incidents. One-shot. Hinata & Sasuke, with slight Hinata & Shino.


**Author's Note**: Well, hello. This is my first fanfic…for awhile since I last submitted one….and apparently, I was put on some 'black list'….and I sorta lost interest….but now since I had all this time to think about fanfic ideas, I have finally worked up some motivation to write one….albeit, a one-shot.

Well, I hope you enjoy….it's a bit out of the ordinary, and it may ruin some people's views of Hinata….so I was told by a friend…and there is OOCness in this fic, but not much. I mean they are older…so I could make them as different as I could….but I didn't, but maybe just slightly. So if you don't like that…it's all good…

Welps, on with the fic!

**Disclaimer:** Obviously, I do not own Naruto! lol

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The burden was too much to bare. It weighed down on her heart. She tried so hard to be strong, not to show her tears, but they flowed out. She knew she would faint, she felt it. She had to make it to the kitchen; all she could do in the hallway was support herself on the wall. Her pallid hand trailed along the wall as she made her way to the kitchen. 

A pain. Her stress was getting to her; she hugged her stomach with her free arm. Her teeth gritted, and her eyes closed. Her breath caught in her throat. Forcing herself to breath steadily, she breathed in and out of her mouth.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Another surge of pain. She really needed to sit down. Where was she? Sakura said she would be right back. Turning her head slightly, she looked at the door behind her, where Sakura was when they both heard the news. Said she had gone to get Naruto, her friend. Their friend. He would comfort them in light of this new development. A sadness could be felt; why now? Why now, she kept questioned the invisible force that weaved fortunes. Neji. He believed in destiny. Was it destiny that he had to go? Was it fate that she would be left with such a heavy burden? A burden that was never her ambition. No not a burden, a blessing.

Her ashen eyes looked up towards the kitchen. It seemed so far. A goal for her; she needed to get there.

Her cousin, Neji, he would know. He would find out that something was bothering her. He always seemed to reveal her inner thoughts. Even went as far as to bring her to the realization that she did not love him, her husband, the man that was ready to devote his life to creating a family, to raising a family. He wanted so much to be something, something that wasn't like his father. He wanted to keep the fire going, but he needed her help.

She knew she never wanted to marry him. She married him for what he represented. He would motivate her to be a better shinobi. He would give her another reason to grow strong. Naruto had once served that very purpose. She thought she was in love. It must have been just infatuation. She still admired his determination.

Most of all, her husband helped her train. He must have loved her. Or could they have been both just fulfilling some inner ambition? Love must have developed. The look on his face when their daughter was born; when her daughter was born. It made her feel as though, he really cared for her. After all the years of misunderstandings, he revealed what he felt about her the entire time. He did love her, even though he never did show it.

She looked up to the pictures on the wall. They looked so perfect. Her family: her daughter and her husband. It would be hard to tell. Their daughter had the same raven hair as her father, and pearl eyes as her mother; no one would suspect that she was the daughter of someone else.

The first night they had actually spent with each other, the flames of passion overtook them. A little flower being swept away by the inferno. He was so welcoming, like the heat and light of the fire in the dark of night. It drew her to him. Her beauty and innocence drew him to her.

The biting weather outside; he would keep his flower warm. She would ensure that he never faded.

This night was the first step. She welcomed him, and they embraced each other. He awakened joys within her; she was his light.

The morning dawned, and they slept peacefully. Waking to the new day, both had come to catch a glimpse of what this relationship could hold. Just when she thought that they would actually get to spend time with one another, a mission came up. Typical. Obstacles, it seems like they always arise at the worst possible moment.

His smile reassured her that they would not be apart for long. His arms around her were comforting. She would miss him. A fear swept over her being, as she watched him leave. When he was finally out of sight, she realized how alone she was. The Uchiha Compound seemed so large when you were alone; but she was not alone, her sixteen-month old daughter slept peacefully in the other room.

Walking back into their house, she paused just as she closed the door. The Uchihas. The rival family of her own. She hoped that this would help mend misunderstandings. She hoped her parents would understand. Closing her eyes, she sighed heavily. She didn't need to think about them now, not after the treatment she had received from them years ago. After all, this was her life. She supported her sister, yet felt a resentment.

Expectations. She had that once. It gave her a purpose to be the best she could. Nothing stopped her from doing that now. She would be the best she could for herself. She shed her timid qualities, and worked on ridding herself of the studder that plagued her speech.

She finally realized that it was a weakness, her open shyness. It was with Sasuke's help, after all, well sort of. He returned from Orochimaru. Resentment was shown towards him for a while. Yet he continued, he would always rise to meet the challenge; something that she admired about Naruto, albeit, the two were utterly different. She may not have been as shy, but was just as kind and considerate, to begin with.

It was seven years ago.

They had rarely talked before, even as Genin. A reunion between the rookie genin of that year brought them together. They were eighteen. She was with Shino at the time. Ino and the others would joke about how their relationship must be, since both of them seemed withdrawn. They teased Hinata, just to see her blush. Sakura would say that she looked adorable.

"Aww…Hinata-chan's blushing," pointed out Ino.

"She looks so adorable, when she blushes," said Sakura with a smile.

Hinata smiled, "Of course I will if you say something."

She remembered seeing Sasuke on the other side of the room, leaning against the door frame, looking over in their direction. She had decided to excuse herself for a while, saying she needed to go to the bathroom…you know freshen up. The only excuse she could come up with that Ino and Sakura would buy. Shino was over with Kiba, Naruto, and the others. Shino watched her leave the room.

As she made her way down the hallway, she sighed. She knew it would be courteous to attend this get together, but she never thought she would be the gossip of the girls. Walking towards the door, she let herself out. Just for a moment, she thought. She needed the fresh air, she felt so flustered. The coolness of the night was welcoming. She sat down on the edge of the small porch, looking up at the starry skies.

"Why…why don't you hang out with the other guys?" Hinata asked suddenly. She saw him, up above her, lazing on the roof. Normal eyes would have never seen him, but she saw him.

"I have nothing to say to them," he had simply replied.

"You didn't want to come either, then, right?" she inquired with a soft smile on her face. She was glad she wasn't the only one. For a moment, she was beginning to wonder if she was becoming anti-social. But since she wasn't the only one, it made her feel better.

"I have my own reasons," then he added, "What about you? Why did you come out here?"

She paused for a moment. "I couldn't stand it…I mean, them…and…..well, I-I-I j-ju-just." She stopped herself. Even though she was trying to work on her studder, it seemed to come at the most inopportune moment. She looked down at the ground, hanging her head. "I-I j-just needed to be a-away from the c-commotion f-for a bit."

She could see him smile, a smirk formed on his lips. That's what she hated. Not hated, hate is too strong of a word. She disliked it when people judged her. Even though he may not have been judging her, his actions revealed he found amusement in seeing her struggle. She brought her knees up, and hugged them close to her. It would be easier if people could just come right out and say what they were thinking, without being criticized or judged. Body language could be so confusing at times.

There was a long silence for a while. Suddenly the opening and shutting of the sliding shojo door told Sasuke she had left. They didn't have any other opportunities to talk, but if he did talk, Hinata would say nothing.

Every other incident of them meeting would start out alright, but would most likely end with Hinata holding some dislike with Sasuke. When she was with Ino and Sakura, the two girls would still talk about Sasuke for while. They would profess how much they loved him, which usually led to them arguing, claiming they loved him more. Hinata would say, without a studder, that she did not like him, even if she weren't with Shino, she still would not like him. They would then say that would be less competition for them. They would joke for a while. They were good friends, Ino and Sakura.

"It just seems that he's mocking me," Hinata confessed once, but only after Sakura had interrogated her for what seemed like hours.

They were shocked once when they saw Hinata glare at Sasuke. They had never seen her openly display her dislike, and they never thought she disliked anybody anyways. They had always figured her to be a very accepting person.

They were to clean the halls of the academy. Ino found some reason to skip out, leaving Sakura and Hinata to do the one corridor on their own. It was Hinata's idea to contribute actively to their old mentors. Much to their disappointment they were given the job of cleaning the halls. Ino had managed to strike a deal for them to only do one corridor, since they would be busy with training later. But then she left the whole job to them to do. Of course, Sakura became furious, and began to clean the hall rather quickly. Hinata suggested they split up the halls, so she took one, and Sakura the other.

She was just near being done her own share, when she saw someone walking towards her. Sasuke was there to meet with some of the sensei. Hinata never knew that though. She was more concerned with keeping the floor clean, since it was just newly cleaned, and still wet.

"Ah, wai-" Hinata stopped. It was no use; he had already stepped on her floor. A faint track of dirt was left behind. He looked at her holding her mop close to her.

"You missed a spot," he said casually, while pointing to some random spot on the floor.

He looked over to her, to see her reaction. She had a somewhat shocked look on her face, but then saw the amusement on his. All she could do was glare at him. A small smile formed on his lips, and he squinted his eyes at her – a mock glare. Well, she assumed it was a mock glare. She would only glare at him if he did something that made her seem like she was doing it for him. She didn't want to seem like she was doing something for _him_. His ego was large enough as it was.

When he had come back out, Hinata and Sakura were sitting, with their backs against the wall, having a snack Hinata had prepared beforehand. He came out, and right away, the look on his face gave him away. She knew he would say something snide.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said cheerfully, as she stood up.

Sasuke looked at Sakura, almost avoiding eye contact with Hinata. As he passed them by, he said in the same casual tone, "Slacking off, I see."

He turned his head, and looked down at Hinata still sitting on the floor. The same defiant look on her face as before. He smirked to himself, and kept walking. After he turned the corner, Sakura looked down at Hinata.

Before Sakura could say anything, Hinata said in a low voice. "See what I mean."

"He was just joking, Hinata," Sakura told her, "You shouldn't take him seriously."

She felt like saying, 'Then why do you?' But that would seem rather rude, so she kept quite. With a sigh, she went back to cleaning up the little mess that Sasuke made while walking through.

At one time, Sakura had convinced Sasuke to come to training with her and a few others. They had decided to have mock teams. Each team would get one scroll, it was basically the same spiel that they had to go through in the Chuunin exams. The teams were made randomly:  
_Team A: Naruto, Ino, Kiba and TenTen.  
__Team B: Hinata, Shikamaru, Lee, and Sakura.  
__Team C: Sasuke, Chouji and Shino.  
_Neji had decided not to show up, leaving one team short one member. They gathered for a little while, trying to plan out a few things, and set up starting areas for the teams.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun? We should join our teams together," suggested Sakura. She looked over to Ino, and sure enough she began to protest. It just seemed unnatural to her to have Sasuke on an opposing team; like the Orochimaru incident all over again, minus the killing intent.

"Why do you even bother with him," boasted Naruto. "You should join our team, since we will be the ones to win."

"Don't be too sure," Lee boldly stated.

"Hey, Naruto. Why don't you just go to your starting area," Sasuke chastised. "And take Hinata with you."

Everybody seemed shocked by his comment, but some laughed. Naruto was too caught up with being told to get lost.

"Ooohhhh," Ino chimed, "…Ouch."

"Hey, we need her on our team," Lee said in Hinata's defense. "She'll be our surveillance, the most important part of our team." With that said, Lee gave his signature 'thumbs up' to Hinata.

Hinata just looked over at Sasuke, a look of slight shock on her face. While the chatter started up between everybody, Sasuke looked over at Hinata. She turned away from his stare, and made her way over to her team's decided starting area. She began to fidget with her hands; she had never done so in so long, well, not as openly as now. She could only wonder what would have happened if she were still going out with Shino. What he would have done. She wasn't too hurt by their break-up, it was Hinata's own decision. She felt that it would be best not to go out, since she had to focus on her training. Shino, being as understanding as he was, gave her the space she asked for. He realized how hard it was for her, even to suggest such a thing. He must have noticed now, how hurt she must have been by what Sasuke said. Still, she would never know what Shino would say to him.

The "game" began. This was everybody's chance to show off some skills, but not put anybody in danger. Of course, there would be some people that would take this too seriously. Hinata was one, for sure. She wanted to prove to herself, that she had become better. She knew she was wrong by comparing herself with others, because every time she did that, she would fall short. She would end up making herself seem so lacking. But it was motivation, and she needed that.

She dashed through the trees, and came to a stop on a tree branch, crouching down. Silence. She quickly activated her Byakugan. There behind her! Why had she not seen him there? Her emotions must have clouded her concentration. She grabbed hold of the branch, and flipped over to land on the ground beneath her. She reached for her kunai, but fumbled with it. Why am I so clumsy, she cursed herself. Her kunai landed on the ground with a small 'clink' sound. She launched backwards, landing in a crouching position. Sasuke dropped down from the tree she was just in. He stood there for a moment, then looked down at her kunai on the ground. He walked towards it, as though looking to pick it up. Hinata immediately got up, and hurried to grab her kunai. Before Sasuke could grab it, Hinata already had it in her hand.

He glanced up at her, and she turned to take her leave. She wanted to keep away from Sasuke. She slipped her kunai back into its pouch at the side of her thigh. She acted as though their whole incident had not happened.

"Hinata?" Sasuke said. Hinata stopped, and turned slightly to look at him. "Are you upset with me?" He kept looking at her, a curious look on his face.

Hinata kept an impassive look on hers. Rather than even acknowledge his question with an answer, she turned and kept on walking. She knew she would come off as being snobby, and rude, but she just couldn't stand him. With her Byakugan, Hinata could see Sasuke leave, with no apparent reaction to her leaving so suddenly. She continued on with her scouting out of the other scrolls.

However, later when she got home, after the whole "game" was ended, she couldn't help but ponder why Sasuke would even ask her. It was obvious that she was mad at him. Neji was out in the courtyard, when Hinata came walking through. He realized something was bothering her, so asked what it was. She told him about the little game they had played, and what Sasuke said and did.

"Why does it bother you?" Neji questioned her.

Hinata looked up at her cousin. "It doesn't….we-well, why does he always have to do that?"

"Mock you?" Neji said with a raised brow. "Usually, something doesn't hurt unless it's done to you by someone we feel as close."

Neji knew that the realization had hit Hinata. The shocked expression on her face was so plain, he could read her emotions like a book. "I-I-I don't like Uchiha Sasuke," Hinata stated. "He's such a jerk, I don't see why anybody would like him."

Neji just smirked. It was amusing watching her deny her own emotions; she seemed like such a child.

Days later, Hinata was to become an apprentice to one of the sensei at the Ninja Academy. Ino and herself would help with tutoring the young kunoichi, while Sakura continued her training in becoming a medical nin. Flower arrangements, and such, the girly things that they had to be taught, that's what she and Ino would be doing. They would also help with the school teachings, information that the children would have to learn in the classroom. Hinata had plans to teach at the academy for a while, this was her 'internship'. She was nineteen and she felt that this was the best she could be doing right now.

Ino and Hinata were outside with the girls. Ino was giving the usual lecture to the girls, and Hinata helped the girl's with arrangement problems or finding the best flower. She never really thought that this sort of teaching would come in handy, but it was best to be prepared for anything, not that flowers would be a problem. They decided to split up the class, Ino would take one half, and Hinata would take the other half. Hinata sat on the soft grass, as the girl's asked various questions.

"Look, it's Sasuke-sensei," one of the girl's said as she pointed over to Sasuke walking towards them. He was also helping with some lessons, the physical part of the kid's training.

"Is Hinata-sensei giving you girls a hard time?" Sasuke inquired as he continued to walk towards Hinata.

Hinata rose one brow slightly, looking at Sasuke. "I'd say that Ino-sensei is more troublesome," she retorted, then glanced over to Ino. "She's really getting passionate about this flower lesson." She laughed seeing Ino trying to explain to the girls about 'this flower' or 'that flower'.

She looked over to Sasuke, and saw him also taking amusement in Ino's actions. "Sasuke-sensei! Sasuke-sensei, look at my flowers," one girl said as she held out her little bouquet to Sasuke.

"That's looks really nice," he complimented her. Then he looked at the flowers the other girl's were holding. "You guys are doing a really good job." He glanced over at Hinata, who was still sitting on the ground.

Hinata met his gaze, but quickly adverted her eyes over to a girl who was approaching her. Sasuke just smiled, when he noticed the light pink rush across her cheeks. His eyes flickered down her body, then drifted up to her face once again. He loved how her two low ponytails fell silkily down her shoulders, dropping onto her chest. He walked over to Hinata, unerringly and casually, sat next to her, one leg bent with the other straight, and leaning back, with his hands on the ground behind him, giving support.

This would be one of the rare pleasant moments that they would share while working together at the academy. Sasuke would later be recruited into the Anbu, and Hinata would remain at the academy as a sensei.

Hinata would later become involved with another shinobi, Aburame Shino. They got back together, but this bond wouldn't last long once again. Her pregnancy that should have been a blessing, was frowned upon by her parents as well as Shino's, for reasons that seemed fairly absurd. Having children without a marriage was folly to them. Hyuuga Hiashi did not want his daughter to marry someone that did not meet his expectations.

"The pride of our clan. Our bloodline! And you take no pride in your family? If you had any respect for this family, you have thought twice before sharing your bed with him," Hiashi chastised Hinata. He said similar things to this.

Hinata pleaded with her father to accept Shino, but that would never happen. When Shino left Hinata, Hiashi could only remind Hinata that he should have listened to him. Out of anger and grief, Hinata left her home. She and her father argued, until finally Hinata could not stand for somebody to insult her and her unborn child.

It was winter. The lights seemed to shine brighter in the bitter cold. As she walked through the quiet streets of Konoha, a bag on her back and another one in her hand, she finally realized the severity of her situation. She disowned her family, and left with some of the belongings she was able to carry, mostly clothes, because she would be unable to carry a heavy load. Nineteen going on twenty, in little less than a week, and three months pregnant with no where to go. How did I ever manage to get myself into this kind of mess, she wondered to herself as she trudged along.

She pulled her hood tight around her face, blocking any cold from entering. If only Neji had been home, but he was off on a mission, as was Sakura. She did not feel like intruding in on Ino, since she just moved into her own place. She was the youngest of her friends, by not more than a couple months. Maybe Naruto would take her in for a while, just until she felt more comfortable going to her other friends.

Hinata began to make her way towards Naruto's home. A flicker of movement not far ahead, announced his presence. Uchiha Sasuke came walking around the corner. He stopped for a moment, maybe trying to discern who it was that was approaching him.

"Do you need help?" asked Sasuke, as he approached Hinata, still not aware of who it was he was helping.

"No," Hinata replied bluntly. "I'm just going to a friend's."

Sasuke stopped for a moment, finally recognizing the voice. "Hinata? What are you doing out here?"

Feeling rather bitter, she replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I'm going to Naruto's."

"It will be a waste of a trip," Sasuke stated. "He went with Kiba and a few others to who knows where." He noticed Hinata's questioning look so continued. "They asked if I wanted to join them, but I didn't."

"W-well, when will he be back?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe later tonight; but you'll freeze waiting for him." He saw the defeated look on Hinata's face. "You can wait at my place for a while. It will be better than staying out here."

She just couldn't believe her luck. Why was it that everybody was gone or busy? "Sure," she replied to Sasuke. Her eyes were on the ground before her. She seemed to lose sense of her surroundings for a moment, but then a hand on hers brought her back to reality. Sasuke was taking her bag out of her hand. She didn't resist, because she wasn't sure what to think. "Thank you," she said softly while looking at him.

"Let's go," he simply said.

What was suppose to be a few hours' wait, turned into a few days' stay, then weeks. The emptiness of the Uchiha compound was still something new to her, even after all those months. She told him about her pregnancy and how she left home. They came to opening up more; she was always too shy, and he just never confided in anybody. He offered to let her stay in one of the rooms in his home; he said it was no problem for her to stay here, and that he didn't mind, because was sometimes rarely home. Hinata thought it over carefully, and finally decided to become Sasuke's roommate.

He was there for her daughter's birth. Once again, Hiashi tried to convince Hinata to come home; her mother and father tried numerous times before, but she stayed at Uchiha compound. When she had first left that cold winter night, they thought it was just for a night or at least, less than a week, but they were wrong. They regretted ever getting mad at her; but now, she was happy, and she didn't care what her family thought. Sasuke was there for her, and they made a picture perfect family. The man she had once hated…disliked, the man she would never imagine herself with, she was living with him.

She could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She blinked hard, trying not to cry. A shinobi never sheds a tear, she tried to convince herself. If she did cry, it would be hard to stop herself. Still looking at the picture, she wondered how to tell her daughter. She had been twenty when she gave birth to her beautiful daughter, who would be turning four in a few months time. She reached out for the shelf, using it for support. The room began to spin, and her vision blurred, finally vanishing. The last thing she remembered was looking at her family picture, seeing Sasuke and her daughter. His garnet eyes were always so hypnotizing.

A commotion and hurry of people roused her from her unconscious mind. Her eyelids still felt heavy, and her head hurt. She slipped in and out of consciousness. When finally she woke again, it was not just her head that hurt, but a great pain. The realization hit her. Her eyes suddenly widened.

"My baby…" she managed to say in a barely audible voice. She remembered seeing some of the medical nins over her. She sat up, but was halted by a pain on her abdomen.

"Hinata!" a voice called her. "You shouldn't try to move."

Hinata saw Sakura standing by the doorway. "Here, just lay back down." Sakura helped Hinata lay back down. "I didn't think you would wake up, so I went to tell your family and friends to come back later." She took Hinata's hand into hers. "How are you feeling?"

"My baby," Hinata repeated, as she held her stomach.

"When I came back inside, I found you lying on the floor unconscious. You wouldn't wake, and Naruto came and he was worried about you. We all were," explained Sakura. "And when you wouldn't wake…well, the monitor showed your contractions. We tried to bring you out of it, and you were for a moment or so, but you always went unconscious again. We were concerned about the babies, so-"

"What happened?" Hinata demanded.

"Your babies are fine," Sakura finally said. "They're twins." There was a smile on her face, and a glint of tears in her eyes. "You have two baby boys."

Sakura smiled even more, when she saw the relieved look and smile on Hinata's face. Tears began to come to Hinata's eyes as well, and slowly the tears trailed down her face. Sakura hugged Hinata, telling her that she will bring her two boys to her. Hinata began to cry, when nobody was there to see. She quickly wiped her eyes, when she saw somebody at the door, thinking it was Sakura. It wasn't. Shino opened the door, and froze when he saw that Hinata was laying in bed awake, looking towards the door. He hesitated, but finally came in.

"How'd you get in?" Hinata questioned Shino. She thought that everybody left.

"I stayed," he admitted. "I wanted to see you, before everybody got here, and I lost my chance again."

Again? Hinata wondered what other times he tried to approach her. She had lost her chance to say anything, as the moment passed, leaving an awkward silence lingering between the two of them.

With a sigh, Shino spoke again. "So, how are you doing?"

Hinata looked down at her folded hands, which rested on her stomach. She spoke around anger and sadness, "I've lost my husband, and I have not yet been able to see my daughter."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Shino apologized as he turned to leave.

"No…" Hinata said softly. "Please, stay. I need somebody to sit with me for a little while."

Shino closed the door, and walked over to Hinata. He sat on the chair that was next to her bed. Once again, there was a silence before anybody spoke again.

"I'm sorry," Shino said, while looking down on the hospital floor. "I didn't mean to leave you like that before. I just-"

He was stopped, when he felt Hinata's hand rest on his shoulder. He looked at her hand, then over to her. She smiled weakly at him, and he noticed that she had been trying to fight back tears this entire time.

"I know. My father, and both our families didn't give us much of a choice. You felt pressured….and I understand…but you could have at least, came to see your daughter…"

"I didn't want to intrude on your new life." It looked like Shino was about to say something more, but then the door opened, with Sakura entering followed by a nurse.

Shino was about to stand up, but Hinata gave him a gentle nudge, so he remained seated. Sakura gently put on of her sons into Hinata's arms. Hinata held her son, with a smile on her face. She looked up at Sakura, who was also smiling. The nurse walked over to Shino, asking if he would like to hold him, the other boy she was carrying. Hinata answered for Shino, telling the nurse to let him carry the other twin. Sakura and the nurse left the two alone, before others could arrive.

"They don't have the Byakugan," Shino observed as he looked into the boy's eyes.

"No, they don't," Hinata repeated. Her brow rose slightly, "They must have the Sharingan." A moment later, Hinata spoke again. "Shino?"

She saw him look over to her. "Do-"

Shino spoke, cutting her off. "Hinata, I want to be there for you. Let me make it up to you. I'm so sorry for leaving you."

"Sasuke was my husband. When he asked me to marry him, I wasn't too sure what I should do," she admitted. "But I knew that it would work. I was positive that it was the best thing to do…and it was. I was happy with Uchiha Sasuke," she stopped, when she felt that she was about to cry. "But now, he's gone," her speech became choked, as she tried to keep back the tears. "We'll let it work itself out," she said finally, after combating her tears.

Uchiha Sasuke fulfilled one ambition, but was defeated by another. Hinata looked down at her son, and over her other one. The last embers of the Uchiha clan. She had to make sure they would survive; for her husband, she would continue to carry out his ambition. She loved him, and she was certain that Shino would become a good father to her children. She may have lost one person, but she was gifted with two sons.

"Shino, are you sure that you want to do this?"

"I am," he nodded. "I will be a father to your sons, like Sasuke was to my daughter. I will do this for you, for her, and even for your husband. Uchiha Hinata, I promise you that I will."

Before she could say anything in response, the nurse knocked at the door. Hinata frowned slightly. The nurse came in, and bowed politely. "Uchiha Hinata, you have visitors here."

Ino and Naruto came in, with a small child holding onto Ino's hand. The little child's raven hair was tied up in two buns. The young girl ran to the bedside, "Mommy!"

Hinata smiled upon seeing her daughter. Shino watched his daughter, as she tried to see her new baby brothers. Neji and Hanabi entered the room, with Hiashi standing at the doorway. He looked on at his daughter, his grandchildren, and the man that he disapproved of. A small smile formed on his lips. He couldn't help but think that they looked perfect.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, well, that turned out longer than I thought....I had more scenes to include, but it would just keep going on and on....so I cut it short. Remember to review! 

Thankies!


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